Patent Application
20120104028
The invention relates generally to the field of refrigerators. More specifically, but not exclusively, the present invention provides a flavor dispenser mechanism that allows a user to select the strength of his or her flavored beverage dispensed from a refrigerator beverage dispenser.
Many people enjoy drinking flavored beverages. The beverages are generally produced by mixing some kind of flavor medium with water. However, not everyone has been able to agree on the strengths of the flavors of these flavored beverages. People may like them stronger, tasting much like the flavor included. Some may like a little bit of flavor, while tending to prefer a more watered down beverage. Many others may choose some sort of in between strength of flavor. While generally the flavor strength does depend on personal choice, it may also depend on the flavor medium mixed with water.
Obtaining a desired flavor strength in a beverage is often a trial and error process. People will generally add water and flavor medium together in a container. If the flavor is too strong, more water will be added. If the flavor of the beverage it too weak, more flavor medium will be added. The trial and error method is time consuming, and may be costly. People may end up throwing away a beverage that they are not satisfied with, and instead starting over, thus wasting both water and flavor medium. Additionally, even if the user knows exactly how much water and flavor medium they need to mix together to produce a desired flavor strength, the amount of time it takes to measure each component may make doing so inconvenient.
Because people have struggled in figuring out the best way to produce a beverage with a desired flavor strength, they instead choose to purchase their drinks elsewhere. While this solution may be easy, it tends to be costly. The cost people choose to pay for others to make their drink for one day might be enough to pay for the same person to make their drink at home for many days and possibly weeks.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for an improved beverage dispenser in a refrigerator that is able to produce flavored beverages having varying strengths, with a user being able to select their desired strength. There is also a need in the art for the same beverage dispenser to produce the same strength flavor of beverages every time.
It is therefore a principal object, feature, or advantage of the present invention to provide an improved beverage dispenser of a refrigerator having varying settings for flavor strength of a flavored beverage.
It is another object, feature, or advantage of the present invention to provide an improved refrigerator beverage dispenser having adjustable strength settings for flavored beverages.
It is another object, feature, or advantage of the present invention to provide an improved beverage dispenser for providing a flavored beverage that will produce the same flavor strength according to the same setting every time.
It is another object, feature, or advantage of the present invention to provide an improved beverage dispenser for dispensing a flavored beverage having an easily adjusted user interface for changing the strength of the flavor of the flavored beverage.
These and/or other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The present invention is not to be limited to or by these objects, features and advantages. No single embodiment need provide each and every object, feature, or advantage.
According to one aspect of the present invention, a refrigerator is provided. The refrigerator includes a refrigerator cabinet, a door for providing access to within the refrigerator cabinet, and a beverage dispenser positioned at the door. The beverage dispenser includes a water source for supplying water, a beverage flavor source containing a flavor medium and having a flavor source opening with an adjustable size, and a user interface for selectively controlling volume of flavor medium dispensed from the beverage flavor source for mixing with water to produce a flavored beverage.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a method of dispensing a flavored beverage having a certain flavor strength from a refrigerator beverage dispenser of a refrigerator is provided. The method includes providing a refrigerator having a refrigerator cabinet, at least one door providing access to within the refrigerator cabinet, and a beverage dispenser positioned at the door, the beverage dispenser including a water source, a beverage flavor source containing a flavor medium, a flavor source opening, and a user interface for selectively controlling the volume of flavor medium passing from the beverage flavor source and through the flavor source opening. A user input is received from the user interface. A size of the flavor source opening is adjusted, at least partially based on the user input. Water is dispensed from the water source, and flavor medium is dispensed from the beverage flavor source through the flavor source opening.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a refrigerator beverage dispenser is provided. The beverage dispenser includes a water source, a beverage flavor source containing a flavor medium and having a flavor source opening and a user interface. The user interface is associated with the beverage flavor source such that it is configured to selectively control volume of the flavor medium dispensed from the beverage flavor source for mixing with the water to produce a flavored beverage.
According to yet another aspect of the present invention, a method of dispensing a flavored beverage with different flavor strengths from a refrigerator beverage dispenser is provided. The method includes providing a refrigerator beverage dispenser including a water source, a beverage flavor source containing a flavor medium and having a flavor source opening, and a user interface configured to control the flavor source opening. Input data is received from the user interface, the input data defining a desired flavor strength. The size of the flavor source opening is adjusted based at least partially on the input data. Water is dispensed from the water source and a volume of flavor medium is dispensed through the flavor source opening. The water and the volume of the flavor medium are mixed together to produce a flavor beverage having the desired flavor strength.
Although the present invention is described with respect to various embodiments, the present invention is not to be limited to the specific embodiments described herein. It is further to be understood that no single embodiment of the present invention need have all of these structures to perform all the functions associated with any particular aspect or embodiment of the invention.
As stated above, the beverage dispenser 30 in
The user interface 40 may comprise a lever 42 for selectively adjusting the volume of a flavor medium 36, and thus, the strength of the flavored beverage 78. The lever 42 may include a first position 44, which may be associated with the flavor source opening 38 being fully opened. The lever 42 may include a second position 46 associated with the flavor source opening 38 being less open than with the lever 42 in the first position 44. The lever 42 may also include a third position 48, which may be associated with the flavor source opening 38 having an opening that is sized less than when the lever 42 is in either the first position 44 or the second position 46. In this configuration, the first position 44 coincides with the greatest volume of flavor medium passing through the flavor source opening 38 to produce the strongest flavored beverage 78, while the second position 46 produces a medium strength flavored beverage 78, and the third position 48 allows the least amount of volume of flavor medium 36 to pass through the flavor source opening 38 to produce the weakest strength of flavored beverage 78.
The user interface 40 may also comprise a first button 56, a second button 58, and a third button 60. The first button 56 may be associated with a first size of a flavor source opening which may allow the greatest amount of flavor medium 36 to pass through the flavor source opening 38, the second button 58 is associated with a second size of the flavor source opening 38, and the third button 60 is associated with a third size of the flavor source opening 38, which allows the least amount of volume of flavor medium 36 to pass through the flavor source opening 38. The amount of flavor medium 36 allowed to pass through the flavor source opening 38 is associated with the strength of the flavored beverage 78. The more volume of flavor medium 36 that passes through the flavor source opening 38, the stronger the resulting flavored beverage 78.
The user interface 40 is connected to the adjustable flavor source opening 38, which is also connected to the medium line 24. The water line 22 dispenses water at a mixing location 26. The flavor source opening 38 dispenses flavor medium 36 at the same mixing location 26. A flavored beverage 78 is dispensed from the mixing location 26.
Although specific embodiments are described herein, the present invention contemplates numerous variations, options, and alternatives, including variations in the structure or a configuration of the refrigerator, or beverage dispensing system. The present invention is not to be limited to the specific embodiments described herein or combinations of the specific embodiments described.
